[.Profile.]
[.Loves.]
[.Currently.]
Movie List:
Australia
The Dark Knight (BR)
The Spirit
Renaissance
Titan A.E.
The Watchmen
Game List:
Ico
Prince of Persia (PS3)
Devil May Cry 4
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII Verses
Little Big Planet
TV List (PST):
Prison Break | FOX | Mon | 9pm
Ugly Betty | ABC | Thurs | 8pm
Burn Notice | USA | Thurs | January 22/Summer 09 | Thurs | 10pm
LOST | ABC | Starting January 21 | 9/10pm
[.The.Mission.]
[.Contact.]
[.The.Dreamwalker.]
[.Dreamers.Odyssey.]
[.The.Extras.]
[.Spotlight/Plugs.]
![Mahonia [more off than on...] - Flickriver](http://www.flickriver.com/badge/user/all/interesting/shuffle/medium-vert/e4edf1/333333/64706908@N00.jpg "Mahonia [more off than on...] - Flickriver"){kind=icon}
[.Welcome.]
Welcome to Twilight Rain. This is a collaboration of the world viewed through my eyes, including my personal interests, creations and ideas from my imagination. Feel free to wander...and experience the place where Reality and Dreams collide...
Please take a moment to either leave a comment on my blog, in my guestbook or on my tag board before you go so I know that you where here! Please also take a moment to visit my friends' sites scrolling above. Thank you so much!
[.Blog/Updates.]
Mood: Excited!!!...
Listening: "Saeglopur" by Sigur Ros
So I am finding myself just kind of hiding from the weather, unfortunately. We got a little snow over the weekend, but nothing to get too excited about. They are predicting more Wednesday. I am hoping for some more because I want to take some photos of it. :)
Being off from school has left a hole in my schedule and I find myself being drawn back into one of my obsessions I haven't had time for while I was in school. lol! I just beat two video games that I was sitting at the very end of. I can't seem to locate the last 8 treasures in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, though. I think I was procrastinating in finishing Uncharted because I loved the story so much I was afraid the ending was going to be a big disappointment. But to my relief they did a fantastic job with the ending. I am hoping they make a sequel with the lead characters again at the wheel. I am planning on buying myself Little Big Planet and Prince of Persia (for PS3). I am curious what LBP is all about since I have heard nothing but good things about it... that and it's very addictive. lmao! Like I need another game to be obsessed about.
We bought our Christmas tree on Saturday. I had just learned about three Firs the last ID week of school and I was determined to buy a Noble Fir. I still laugh when I think of Noble Firs and how Chris (my instructor) taught us how to remember to ID it. Nobles are pro-hockey players. LMAO! The Noble Fir is the Abies Procera. And their needles curve at the very end as they are coming into the branch kind of like a hockey stick. :) Noble Firs are the most popular Christmas tree around here. The needles last longer on the tree and the needles also stand straight up so the branches hold the ornaments better. LMAO! =P I learn so many interesting things don't I??
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
Mood: Happy...
Listening: "Sanctuary?" by Greg Edmonson [Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Official Soundtrack to the Video Game)]
It's been an interesting couple of weeks. And as I sit here analyzing what has happened. I realize this class is probably the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I belong somewhere. I'm part of something special. I am hoping I have made life long friends from several of the people in my group.
The woman I ride with to school handed me a card after class, a Christmas card. It said "Mahonia... the sweetest & smartest of our '14' ". 14 being the number of students in "section 2" or our class. I don't know about "smartest", but the sweetest part really made me tear up. Darla is such a wonderful person. She cares so much about everyone and goes way out of her way to help out. She's done so much with her life, visited and lived in so different many places, I just love listening to her stories. I am really lucky to know her.
I had two final exams, one on Friday and one today. We learned 75 plants over the course of the quarter. We were tested on 25. I got a 97%!! Today was the propagation exam. I did very well on the practical exam, much better than I thought I was going to. Not sure about the written part yet. I'm sure I passed, but I'm not sure what my grade was. I will have to keep checking ANGEL for that update.
Chris has a birthday on the 20th of December. So we decided we had to get him a gift. We started out wanting to get him the "Planet Earth" series on Blue Ray, which he had on his Christmas list. So Tracy went home and ordered it online, but then when we got back to class on Monday he proudly stated he had bought it for himself over the weekend. We were suddenly silently yelling at him. lol! Then Monica thought a Clapper would be a great gift because someone is always having to get up to turn on and off lights during powerpoint lectures. Of course we found out that you need an outlet to plug it in next to the light switch and yeah, we didn't have that. So finally I offered a book that I really liked and thought he might enjoy it. So we finally decided on a book by Timber press "Gardening in the Pacific Northwest". I spent time after our propagation final trying to track down the students in our class to sign his b-day card. Somehow after the test everyone scattered like pool balls after being struck. Anyway, Chris was very happy with it the book. When he gets down to reading the card I'm sure it was going to choke him up and get him to laugh. It's become obvious how much the guy means to all of us.
We were standing around eating the food from our potluck. Monica, Tracy, Liang and I were conversing when Monica mentioned that she was going to have to buy her son an XBox this Christmas. I knew there were a lot of things these women didn't know about me, but when I finally opened my mouth to drop a bombshell on them...Monica and Tracy's faces were priceless. They would have never have picked me as a dedicated gamer. They just looked at me as if I was kidding. Tracy said she would have never guessed because I was "so mature". I laughed. Since when does maturity have anything to do with gaming? I think because I am so quiet in class. Maybe people even think I am not a fun person. lol! I think Jared thinks of me that way. He's the 18 year old kid in our class. He's a very nice guy, but he's so serious for his age. I think he's starting to feel comfortable around all the middle age women he ended up in class with. LMAO! I know he wishes there were some cute girls in the class. I can't blame him, though. He just about fell over when he found out how old I was. I get that from people. I look a lot younger than I actually am. I think it's a good thing however.
Four people from our class have decided to get together when the Christmas ships come in and watch them. I've never done that. But I know I will need at least a few things to do over the holiday season. I know I will get bored quick. And I will miss the people I have seen day in and day out week after week. I just have gotten so use to it. They are the greatest bunch of people one could ask for.
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
Mood: Mellow...
Listening: "So What" by P!nk
OK - I have not updated in almost a month. Due to time constraints and laziness. lol =P I do apologize. I should not do it because frankly when I come to blog after days of not updating I realize so much has happened that it's hard to figure out how to put everything that has happened down in words. And I find it frustrating for me, anyway. I will try better...
Welcome to "Dream 2" of Twilight Rain. I loved the other layout, but I admit, I was getting bored with it. So I spent the last two weeks trying hard to come up with a new idea. Finally one came to me today and I worked very hard to get it up quickly since my time is limited nowadays. :) I hope you like. I googled images and I saw this photo of my two favorite characters from my favorite show "Burn Notice" and had to figure out how to use it in a layout. I didn't plan the color scheme, it just sort of happened, but I really liked how it turned out. Jeffery Donovan is one of my favorite actors and Fi is just too cute. lol! I was watching the season two's "season finale" and I absolutely love that scene where Michael (in character) is telling the guy he is working for that he can't kidnap someone because he found God. The way Fi was looking at Michael was amazing. I love Michael and Fi's relationship. Here's hoping they finally end up together on a permanent basis! Burn Notice is running new episodes this January! Outside of its "season"! I am so excited!!! This is too cool! :D I cannot wait to see what happens next!
School's been amazing for me. I can't believe I love it as much as I do. I have awesome classmates and an awesome teacher! Everything about the program is so interesting. Chris told me that if I wanted to try and propogate a plant I was interested in, he would help me figure out how to set up the procedure in the greenhouse. I have decided I am going to try and propogate the Pernettya (Gaultheria) mucronata. Very cool plant! It's one of Chris's favorites, but not a lot of people use it, so it's fairly rare around here. I love the coral pink berries it has on it in the fall and winter.
I sold my first three photos this week! Tracy loves frogs so she bought two of my tree frog pictures. Monica's hubby loves Mt. Rainier so Monica ordered an 8x10 of one of my shots of my trip up there this last summer. All of this positive feedback has made me realize I should pursue photography more. After I graduate from the HORT class, I am planning on taking a photography class, I am just not sure where yet.
Monday through Wednesday we are spending almost all of class making wreaths. I'm really excited! I sounds like it's going to be a log of fun! I'm planning to make three, one for my neighbor, one for my grandma and one for my mom. I hope I have enough time.
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
Mood: Meh...
Listening: "Together We Will Live Forever" by Clint Mansell (The Fountain Official Soundtrack)
Yesterday after lunch, Chris wandered into the classroom, to the front, grabbed a stool, and straddled it. He sat very quietly and looked out at us. He then asked softly, "How are you guys doing?" We just looked back at him a little puzzled. It caught all of us a little of guard. However, it shows just what kind of person Chris is. For a big guy, he's very sensitive (in a good way). He was taking the time out of our hectic schedule to get a feel for how we were, mentally and physically. Everyone has said, did not matter if you are 18 or 59, this class is both very demanding and very exhausting. And it was the beginning of our sixth week. Most teachers would just press on, keep to the schedule, but Chris is different. He told us on the first day of class that because we spend so much time together we become very close and that's how he sees us...we are his family. He also has shown us he moves at the speed his students need. He will stick to a subject until both us and him know we understand it. A lot of teachers hate being interrupted during their lectures, they insist that their students wait until the end of it to ask questions. Chris loves questions. In fact he encourages our involvement and our questions and he will answer them at any time. He cares about each of us as individuals. He will spend as much time with us individually as we need and he's always enthusastic about it. He loves to teach. And he's honestly probably the best teacher I've ever had.
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
Mood: Sleepy...
Listening: "Junk (Flashover Remix)" by Ferry Corsten
Chris was taking us around to look at this week's plants. We stopped at the St. John's Wort, which is a plant I cannot stand and right now it truly looks like nothing. This particular one, weeds are growing right out of the center along with some long green, shapeless, nameless grass. We have to learn St. John's Wort because it is everywhere around here. It's one of those plants that can live in almost any condition and it produces a screaming yellow flower in the spring. It's a plant you should literally mow down at the end of the fall so it comes back looking fresh. Anyway, Chris reaches down to grab a leaf with a seed head to give us a little intro to the plant. And suddenly before any of us knew what happened, he just about falls over himself as he jumps back...maybe two feet. He flinches and all of us knew what had happened... We learned pretty much the very first day of school that he is terrified of spiders. He looks at us almost embarrassed and said he grabbed a spider. A "big fat one". Everyone started cracking up. Chris fishes around for another piece of St. John's Wort while making sure the spider was no where near him. He's told us that if he gets a spider on him, we may see him running and doing his "spider dance". The thing that makes this all so very funny is that one...Chris is a guy...and two he is not a small guy... he's 6'0" and around 200lbs....it's just a riot that a guy that size would get so freaked out by something as small a spider...that and the fact that he works outside for a living. But when he walks through a spider web, he will start waving his arms and flinching his shoulders. And giving us something to laugh about...
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
Mood: Sleepy...
Listening: "Weapons of Mass Distortion" by The Crystal Method (Legion of Boom)
Yesterday I found out our class is going to be helping set up the incredible and much celebrated Northwest Flower & Garden Show. It's going to be a lot of physical labor, but it sounds like it's going to be a real enjoyment too. We will be taking off a week of school to help the designers of the gardens get their exhibits ready. It's a huge opportunity to meet many of the top people in the field. We will be learning more info when it gets closer to Februray.
After the founder and the manager of the NW Flower & Garden Show spoke to us. Don wanted to know if someone had a good radio on them. One of the young women said she had her iPod and some good speakers so she fished through her songs until she found a song Don liked... one with a "good beat" he said. Both classes were in the room and we were all starting to wonder what was going on...some of us thought someone was planning to get up in front of the classes and start dancing. Don ran out of the room and a moment later Chris comes in with an orange fleece vest on and a jacket drapped over one shoulder. It was too cute how he covered his face with his hand in embarrassment as he walked down the aisle to the front of the classes. Jen (our TA) followed and Don strutted in with a jacket drapped over his shoulder. Don was really moving to the music. They started waving their hands in front of the clothes they were wearing. While Don was almost cutting loose to the music. Then Don told her to stop the music. She did. Don laughed and said we were probably wondering what the hell they were doing. It was obvious they were attempting a fashion show. Each piece of apparel had a LWTC Environmental Horticulture logo on it. Don wants us to have a piece of apparel that has our logo on it. So everyone knows who we are when we go to the show. :) lol! Don wants it to "look like we are everywhere". I guess it works because Don says previous years the designers at the show have thought there were hundreds of us. LMAO!
Today, we were moving gravel to create a path in the arboretum in the conifer bed. Chris was training people how to operate the tractor we have at school and I actually thought about learning until I heard it was a stick shift and I hesitated because I've never driven anything but an automatic. Chris overheard me later talking to someone in the breakroom about the tractor. He called over to me and asked if I wanted to learn how to operate it. I think he was thinking I just didn't get the chance. I hesitated and told him I heard it was a stick shift. He asked me if I had ever driven a stick and I told him no. His eyes lit up. And before I knew what was happening he became determined he was going to teach me how to drive a stick via the tractor. lmao! (No laughing at me...I've grown up in the city and have never driven anything other than a car and a small pickup.) So, next time we use the tractor, I guess I'm going to be on it. I'm thinking I'm going to need someone to take a picture of this...
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
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